Marking device



Dec. 10, 1963 L. L. MARRAFFINO MARKING DEVICE Filed Dec. 29, 1960 INVENTOR Zia/MPO Z M/fiF/JFF/NO ATTORNEYS I United States Patent Oflice 3,113,553 Patented Dec. 10, 1963 3,113,558 MARKING DEVICE Leonard L. Marraliino, 121 Sunset Road, Mamaroneck, NY. Filed Dec. 29, 1950, Ser. No. 79,379 Claims. (6i. tau-42.4)

This invention relates to marking devices and writing instruments and is more particularly concerned With pressure feeding of the ink and pressure equalization within the ink reservoir.

The invention of this application contemplates a device having a tubular barrel, in which there is an ink reservoir, a tube for feeding the ink and a writing point or tip as a ball point tip.

There have been various devices of this nature in which the purpose of theinventors was to increase the pressure within the ink reservoir in order to cause the ink to flow to the writing point or tip. However, none of these devices have been successful in that, although means for increasing the pressure within the reservoir were provided, no provision was made to control the pressure or to equalize the pressure within the reservoir and, as a consequence, some of these marking devices leaked ink or did not operate correctly due to air blocks, etc.

It is an object of this invention to provide a marking device in which a pressure is created within the reservoir to cause the ink to flow to the Writing point or tip continuously and evenly, but which at the same time does not cause the ink to leak around the writing tip.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a marking device which is ready to write instantly and in any position or angle, and without effort on the part of the user.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a writing instrument or a marking device in which the user may write either with light or heavy strokes with the same instrument, so that the user may have a distinctive character or style of his or her writing.

Further objects and advantages of the device of this invention will be obvious from the description.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference is made to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view partly in section showing the preferred form of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view fragmentary of a detail of a modification;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view partly in section of a modified form of a detail;

FIGURE 5 is a cross section on the lines 55 of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view fragmentary of a modified form of a portion of the barrel;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary view partly in section of a modified form of the ink reservoir;

FIGURE 8 is a cross section on the lines 88 of FIG- URE 7.

Referring to the drawings in the form as shown, It) represents a hollow metal or plastic tube or barrel, including a lower tip 11 and an upper portion 12. The barrel It is hollow and has external threads 13 on its center portion 14, so that the internal threaded part 15 of the upper portion can be secured to the barrel by twisting. The upper portion 12 is provided with a plunger 16 at the top thereof, which bears against a coil spring 17. When the plunger 16 is depressed it compresses the spring 17 and is held in a depressed position by a catch which may be of any conventional type.

A reservoir 18 in the form of an elongated cylindrical tube as shown in FIGURE 1 is provided, which may be of any suitable material such as metal or plastic. At the lower end of the reservoir, the tube narrows to provide a throat 19 at the end of which a ball point 20 is fitted for revolving in a socket in the tube, so that when the ball point revolves it contacts the ink within the tube and carries the ink around on its surface. This reservoir is adapted to fit within the barrel 10.

Inside the barrel It) at its lower end, a shoulder 21 is provided which shoulder serves as a bearing member for a coil spring :22, the lower part of which rests on said shoulder. This coil spring is circular and is adapted to encircle a portion of the throat 19 of the reservoir so that the upper end of the throat where it widens to become the ink reservoir forms a circular shelf 23 which bears against the upper pant of the coil spring 22.

The upper part of the reservoir has a compressible bulb 24 which may be of any flexible material such as rubber or plastic. The compressible bulb is secured to the upper portion of the reservoir and communicate directly with the reservoir interior. A hole 25 is provided in the upper wall of the bulb preferably at the top thereof and just above the upper extremity of the reservoir. Thus when the plunger 16 is depressed, it will bear against the top of the bulb 24 and at the same time it will close off the vent 25. As the plunger bears downwardly against the bulb 24, the bulb will be compressed, thus causing the air within the chamber 26 of the bulb to be compressed.

This compressed air will be forced downwardly against the ink Within the reservoir to cause it to flow in the direction of the throat 19 of the reservoir, and in contact with the ball point 29. At the same time, the whole reservoir will be forced downwardly so that the shelf 23 will press against the spring 22, and cause the ball point to emerge from the lower tip 11 of the barrel and to be in writing position.

Within the tube of the reservoir 18 and extending parallel to the sides thereof, there are a plurality of tubular passages 27 communicating with the interior of the reservoir, which extend from a point slightly above the upper part of the throat 19 to the closed end 28 of the reservoir 13. At the stop 28, the tubular passages are closed. In the form as shown, the tubular passages '27 are made integrally with the sides of the reservoir 18 and open into the reservoir at their lower ends. However, it has been found that separate tubular passages located within the periphery of the side of the reservoir also are advantageous and provide means for equalizing the pressure within the reservoir. By providing this means for equalizing the pressure within the reservoir, the ink within the reservoir is not forced out and around the ball point in excess amounts to cause leakage, since the relatively tight fit of the ball point at the end of the throat is sufficient to prevent leakage when the pressure is equalized.

In FIGURE 4 there is a modified form of the bellows which is designated as 24A. In this form, the sides of the bulb are of rubber or plastic, the lower portion of which is attached to the stop member 28, which has a tube communicating with the interior of the reservoir 18. A hole A located in the lower part of the bulb 24A provides means for air to enter the bulb when in open position. At its upper part the bulb is attached to the plunger 26A as shown in FIGURE 4, so that when the plunger is pressed downwardly, it compresses the bulb and simultaneously closes the vent 25A to prevent the entry or escape of air Within the bulb. When the bulb 24A is compressed, the air will be forced through the opening in the stop member into the reservoir to force the ink downwardly in the reservoir.

In FIGURE 3, the upper part of the drawing shows another form of means for producing pressure within the reservoir. In this form, the plunger 26B produces a pump action within the shaft R. As the plunger 26B travels downwardly, it closes the air vent 25B and the air Within the shaft R, which is connected with the interior of the reservoir forces the ink in the reservoir toward the throat and the ball point. the plunger 26B also presses the reservoir itself downwardly against the spring 22 in the same manner as shown in FIGURE 1.

In the form shown in FIGURE 6, at the lower tip 11 of the barrel 10, there is provided an abrasive member 29 which is located at an angle across a part of the opening in the lower part of the barrel, in such a manner that when the plunger and reservoir are pressed downwardly to have the ball point in Writing position, the ball point will contact the abrasive member 29 before emerging from the barrel. When the ball point contacts the abrasive memher, the ball will be turned approximately a quarter turn before emerging from the barrel, so that the portion of the ball which had contacted the ink in the throat will be exposed and in a position to write immediately.

In FIGURES 7 and 8, there are shown modifications of the means for maintaining an equalized pressure on the ink within the reservoir. In the form as shown in FIG- URES 7 and 8, a reservoir 18 similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 is employed. Within the barrel there is a closed ring 30 which is of smaller diameter than the interior of the barrel and which extends substantially the length of the interior of the barrel from the stop 25C at the top to the beginning of the throat 23C. The closed ring 30 is held away from the sides of the barrel by spacers 31 so that the closed ring forms a space between it and the barrel which is closed at the upper end and open at the lower end near the throat. By means of this construction, the reservoir of the ink is stored in the space within the closed ring, and when the ink is forced downwardly by pressure from the plunger and bulb, the ink is pressed into the throat to the ball point. Any excess ink or excess pressure forces the ink into the space between the closed ring and the barrel upwardly toward the top. Since the space is closed at the top, when the ink is forced up into the space, it will create pressure against the air in the space, until the pressure within the reservoir and in the space between the barrel and closed ring becomes equalized.

twill be obvious that there are several means by which the pressure within the ink reservoir may be equalized and those shown above are only illustrative of the preferred means of accomplishing the desired result of equalizing the pressure within the barrel.

Thus, it may be seen that the present inventor has provided a method and means for assuring an adequate how of ink to the writing point of the pen, while at the same time providing a means for controlling and equalizing the pressure on the ink supply to prevent leakage around the ball point. Thus, when by excessive pressure, ink is forced into the equalizing space within the reservoir, the ink will be forced into the space until it compresses the air within that space. As a consequence, when the pressure has been equalized, the pressure will remain substantially con stant within the reservoir, since a reduction of pressure In this form, the pressure on H within the reservoir by the use of the ink around the ball point will be equalized by the back pressure in the equalization tubes. Thus, the flow of the ink wi l remain constant throughout long periods, whether the pen is used in normal position or inverted. In addition, since the supply of ink around the ball point is continuous, the amount of pressure needed to write is lessened and the fatigue normally felt in the use of ball point pens is minimized.

By this means of equalizing the pressure within the reservoir, While at the same time maintaining sufiicient pressure to keep the flow of the ink continuous, the user of this pen may write in either a bold or a fine hand depending upon the amount of pressure applied by the hand or" the writer, thus lending character to the writing. Furthermore, the equalized pressure achieved by this invention enables the user to use the pen and the ink to maintain a continuous fiow even when the pen is used in an inverted position.

The same means for obtaining and equalizing the pressure on the ink within the barrel may be employed in other marking devices using the ball point principle, such as lipstick dispenser, package markers, etc., whether the ball is large or small.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a marking device having a ball point, an ink reservoir,- and a conduit connecting the reservoir and the ball point, the combination of a compressible bulb mounted on the ink reservoir, an air vent in the bulb, means for compressing the bulb and closing the air vent to increase the pressure within the ink reservoir and for holding said bulb in compressed position, and tubular passages within the ink reservoir closed at the tops thereof and open at the lower parts thereof and adapted to receive ink therein as the pressure within the reservoir is increased.

2. In a marking device having a ball point, an ink reservoir, and a conduit connected to one end of the reservoir and the ball point to provide a supply of ink from the reservoir to the ball point, a combination of a compressible bulb connected to the ink reservoir, an air vent in the bulb, means for compressing the bulb and closing the air vent for increasing the air pressure within the ink reservoir and for holding said bellows in compressed position, and tubular passages within the reservoir extending substantially the length of the reservoir, said tubular passages being closed at their upper ends and open at the lower ends thereof and adapted to receive ink therein as the pressure within the reservoir increases.

3. In a marking device having a ball point, an ink reservoir, and a conduit connected at one end to the ink reservoir and at the other to the ball point to provide a supply of ink to the ball point, the combination of a compressible bulb connected to the ink reservoir, an air vent in said bulb, means for compressing the bulb and closing the air vent for increasing the pressure of the air within the ink reservoir and for forcing the ink into the conduit, means for holding said bulb in compressed condition and said air vent closed, and tubular passages within the reservoir extending substantially the length thereof, said tubular passages being closed at their upper ends and open at their lower ends and adapted to receive ink therein as the pressure within the ink reservoir is increased.

4. In a marking device having a ball point, an ink reservoir and a conduit connecting the ink reservoir and the ball point to provide a supply of ink to said ball point, the combination of a flexible compressible bulb connected to the ink reservoir, an air vent in said bulb, means for compressing said bulb and closing said air vent to cause an increase in pressure of the air within the ink reservoir and for forcing ink into the conduit, means for holding said bellows in compressed condition, and a plurality of tubular passages within the ink reservoir extending substantially the length thereof, said tubular passages communicating with the ink reservoir at a point adjacent the conduit and being closed at the other ends thereof, said tubular passages adapted to receive ink therein as the pressure Wifllin the reservoir is increased.

5. In a marking device having a ball point, an ink reservoir and a conduit connecting said reservoir to the ball point to provide a supply of ink to said ball point, the combination of a compressible bulb connected to the reservoir, an air vent in said bulb, means for compressing said bulb and closing said air vent to cause an increase in the air pressure within the reservoir and for forcing the ink into the conduit, means for holding said bulb in compressed position, and a plurality of tubular passages within the reservoir and communicating therewith, said tubular passages being adapted to receive ink therein to equalize the pressure Within the reservoir.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Salas July 5, 1949 Fehling Jan. 2, 1951 Fehling Ian. 2, 1951 Rappaport Dec. 30, 1958 Spalek Dec. 3, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 30, 1951 Australia Sept. 16, 1952 Australia Aug, 19, 1953 Belgium Apr. 14, 1956 France Nov. 26, 1956 

5. IN A MARKING DEVICE HAVING A BALL POINT, AN INK RESERVOIR AND A CONDUIT CONNECTING SAID RESERVOIR TO THE BALL POINT TO PROVIDE A SUPPLY OF INK TO SAID BALL POINT, THE COMBINATION OF A COMPRESSIBLE BULB CONNECTED TO THE RESERVOIR, AN AIR VENT IN SAID BULB, MEANS FOR COMPRESSING SAID BULB AND CLOSING SAID AIR VENT TO CAUSE AN INCREASE IN THE AIR PRESSURE WITHIN THE RESERVOIR AND FOR FORCING THE INK INTO THE CONDUIT, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID BULB IN COMPRESSED POSITION, AND A PLURALITY OF TUBULAR PASSAGES WITHIN THE RESERVOIR AND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH, SAID TUBULAR PASSAGES BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE INK THEREIN TO EQUALIZE THE PRESSURE WITHIN THE RESERVOIR. 